Monday, September 05, 2016

Carion’s Come What May

During
the attempted mass migration of 1940 often dubbed “The French Exodus,” it was
easy to tell the refugees from the aggressors. Generally, the former spoke
French and the latter spoke German. However, that put a dissident German like
Hans in a difficult spot. Overshadowed by outrages like the Velodrome Round-up,
the ill-fated evacuation gets its dramatic due in Christian Carion’s Come What May (trailer here), which opens this
Friday in New York.

As
a critic of the National Socialist regime, Max found it advisable to leave
Germany with his young son Max in a hurry. To avoid deportation, they try to
pass for French Christians of ruddy peasant stock. Frankly, they are not so
convincing, but the residents of their Pas-de-Calais hamlet are inclined to
simply live and let live, especially Hans’ yeoman farmer boss Paul, who also
happens to be the mayor. Unfortunately, this peaceful interlude will not last
long, as viewers should expect. Eventually, Hans is arrested and interned for
misrepresenting his citizenship, leaving Max in the care of the town’s
schoolteacher, Suzanne. Shortly thereafter, the Maginot Line caves, setting off
the town’s desperate flight from the invading Germans.

Supposedly,
there was a plan in place for the townspeople to be sheltered in Dieppe in the
case of such an eventuality, but getting there will be quite the trick. The
roads will be clogged with other internal refugees, at least until the Germans
start their strafing. Of course, their supplies quickly dwindle and communication
is haphazard at best. Nevertheless, when Hans is released on humanitarian
grounds, he joins forces with Percy, a stranded junior officer of the Black
Watch, and together they manage to follow the notes Max leaves for him on
school house black boards.

Carion
makes it clear what a sweeping, tragic, and ultimately futile chapter of French
history this truly was, but his but his primary focus falls on the intimate
survivors’ stories of father, son, and the displaced villagers. August Diehl
(from The Counterfeiters) and Joshio
Marlon are totally believable and often quite touching as the exiled father and
son. Olivier Gourmet also deftly walks the line between rugged
salt-of-the-earth-ness and Gallic pigheadedness as the Mayor. However, Matthew
Rhys (The Americans, Death Comes to Pemberley) steals the film several times over as the dashing Percy. With
his casual panache and pencil moustache, the Welsh Rhys playing the Scotts
officer brings to mind the British David Niven, who really executed missions
behind enemy lines as a commando with the British Army’s “Phantom” Regiment.

Inspired
by Carion’s own family history, CWM helps
humanize and contextualize the French wartime experience. It is often grueling,
but there are moments that pay-off in spades. The aptly stirring Ennio
Morricone score is certainly an additional selling point. Recommended for Francophones
and fans of Rhys, Come What May opens
this Friday (9/9) in New York, at the Paris Theatre uptown and the Angelika
Film Center downtown.

About Me

J.B. (Joe Bendel) works in the book publishing industry, and also teaches jazz survey courses at NYU's School of Continuing and Professional Studies. He has written jazz articles for publications which would be appalled by his political affiliation. He also coordinated instrument donations for displaced musicians on a volunteer basis for the Jazz Foundation of America during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Send e-mail to: jb.feedback "at" yahoo "dot" com.